Photos by Holly Homan
On the evening of June 25 I headed to Seattle’s foremost punk club El Corazon. Playing was Chicago punk rock veterans Pegboy. The Dollyrots were one of the supporting acts and since they’re one of my favorites, I was inspired to see five punk bands play in one night.
I would describe Pegboy’s sound as a combination of Cock Sparer and Stiff Little Fingers. Front man John Haggerty was a bundle of energy. He strutted about the stage, spun about, jumped off the stage to sing and dance with the audience and constantly leaned into said audience to serenade them. He screamed and growled into the mic and hammed it up non stop.
Pegboy are loud, they’re raucous and they’re highly entertaining.
Playing prior to Pegboy was one of my favorite bands, the Dollyrots. The Dollyrots are fronted by bass player and lead vocalist Kelly Ogden & her guitarist husband Luis Cabezas. I’ve seen them live now four times and they always have a different drummer. Luis & Kelly are top contenders for a cutest couple award. They both ooze charisma. Luis reminded me of a cuter version of Dee Dee Ramone. The highlights of their set was my favorite song, I know How to Party, a song about a woman who’s clumsy and not very good at much except partying. They also did a rocking version of the old Melanie song, Brand New Key. This song is over 50 years old and wasn’t a monster hit, yet I looked around and saw that many sang along. I doubt any of them were alive when that song came out. I actually preferred the Dollyrots version to the original. They actually released it way back in 2007 but this is the first I recall hearing them perform it live.
They also played their new single Get On This Ride. Missing this time were their two children joining them on stage. I missed the fancy yo-yo tricks and corny jokes son River would tell and the budding drumming of daughter Daisy. Still, the Dollyrots never disappoint.
Preceding the Dollyrots was another band I looked forward to seeing, Go Betty Go. This all female four-piece hails from LA and are totally amazing. Their bespectacled guitar player Betty Cisneros battled stage four cancer that was diagnosed three years ago and took a temporary leave. But she looked and sounded fabulous. I’m always heartened when someone beats cancer as I lost my baby sis to that dreaded disease in 2017. Emily Wynne-Hughes, the band’s vocalist never stood in one place more than a couple seconds. She dripped with charisma. I would describe their sound as L7 meets the Ramones. They lit the stage on fire from the get go and never let up. I hope they return to Seattle and headline a show so I can see a longer set. I really enjoyed them.
Before Go Betty Go was a band called Amusement. They hail from Portland, OR and are fronted by the very energetic vocalist John Wilkerson. I watched in amazement as he strutted about, twisted, writhed, fell on his back all while screaming and growling into the mic. The one time he stopped moving was to condemn the recent bombing of Iran. These guys play loud and fast and they immediately ignited a small moshing circle.
Opening the evening was Baby & the Nobodies from the state of Washington. I saw these guys a couple years ago when they opened for the Dollyrots and was very impressed. I arrived late and only caught the last two songs, but their stage dynamic was ever present. They are fronted by singer Rebecca Terry whose gutsy pipes left barely a still body on the dance floor.
All five bands were outstanding combining elements of hard rock, punk and pop.
